New Orleans

We’ve arrived at the mid-semester mark, which means my life has suddenly become considerably easier. First, I’m done with my senior paper (still gloating about this a bit, don’t mind me). Secondly, I’m done with my 8-week Music Appreciation class. This leaves me with only Advertising Senior Seminar and Diversity, effectively reducing my course load to a measly 6 hours. Of course, I’ll now be supplementing that light course load with job hunting and grad school applications, and maybe I’ll get back to writing and recording some music, but my stress factor has basically vanished!

Anyway, I’ve just returned from New Orleans, where I presented with a fellow student at the 2011 Conference for the Association of Applied and Clinical Sociology (AACS). The conference was a great success; I met some awesome people, received totally flattering praise from one of the authors of my intro text book, and learned some cool stuff! It was an amazing trip – New Orleans is a fantastic place – and I’m glad Fontbonne decided to support student excellence by sponsoring us on this trip (read: I went to New Orleans for free, and it was amazing). Moral of the story: do well in school and you’ll go places… for free.

This week, I’m skipping town again because it’s my birthday weekend (I’ll be celebrating my second annual 21st birthday!) Thursday night I’ll be flying up to Buffalo, to visit the love of my life at the University at Buffalo where she studies Pharmacy. My parents will also drive in with my beloved dog, Zoey, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. (Zoey is oddly popular on the international level. You can like her on Facebook). Missing class won’t be much of a problem, though I’m not used to traveling this much!

Well that’s where I’m at. Or, where I’ll be? Either way, that magical graduation date is going to be here before I know it… and there’s still a lot to be done before then! Keep at it everyone!

In reminding myself that this blog is primarily aimed at prospective students, I realized I haven’t commented on Fontbonne itself in a while, or at least not in a sense that prospective students will easily appreciate. No one really wants to hear about my senior paper, or my job hunt. So, let me throw out some thoughts about Fontbonne. Let’s see…

How about this: Fontbonne just paid for a $450 hotel room, a $100 dollar conference registration, and the gas for me to drive down to New Orleans on the weekend of October 15th for a sociology conference. Awesome? I think yes. I’ll be attending this conference with Dr. Stoelting and Lauren Sandefur, a fellow applied sociology student also graduating this December. Blah blah, presenting senior paper, blah blah, won awards there last year, blah blah. Important part: Fontbonne is paying for a trip to New Orleans. So awesome.

I should remind you that this isn’t the first time I’ve been on a paid vacation thanks to Fontbonne. My freshman year, Fontbonne sent me to IRELAND for Spring Break. All expenses paid. In other words, the most incredible trip of my life was completely free of charge thanks to Fontbonne. There was some work that earned this trip, sure, but nothing so strenuous as to overshadow how amazing(ly free) that trip was.

Honestly, there are other schools I considered besides Fontbonne. I wonder, occasionally, what my life would be like if I had attended Webster University, just down the road – I probably would’ve studied music there instead of applied sociology. I wonder what my life would be like if I had attended Syracuse University, back in upstate New York – I probably would be doing miserably, trying to be a copywriter instead of an account executive, and failing because I was so depressed due to the frigid, miserable winters. I wonder what my life would be like if I had attended the University of Texas at Austin – I’d be in a great advertising program for networking, but wouldn’t have had the chance to pursue sociology to the same level (and frankly I’m not so sure about the accounts their advertising program produces).

When I think about where I might’ve been, I realize I have zero regrets about being here. I’m happy I’m here. Fontbonne has given me so many opportunities. I’ve been to Ireland, I’ll go to New Orleans, I’ve been published, I’ve had experiences that helped me land two awesome internships, I’ve worked with some of the most incredible professors, I’ve learned some of the most useful things. I’ve discovered so much about who I am and what it means to navigate this world. That… that’s pretty cool, I’d say.

Our Writers

Hi y'all! I am currently a grad student at Fontbonne, studying for my master's in health communications. I am an RD-in-training and hope to be a professional nutrition writer/ blogger after grad school. Check out my personal blog, The Wholey Trinity, and feel free leave your comments. I love a good conversation almost as much as a good cup o' coffee!

Hello, I'm Elizabeth but you can call me Lizzie. I am a natural-born St. Louis resident and a Vietnamese-American. My family is from Vietnam. I am an art major and currently a freshman. I hope to learn many things and become a great student for Fontbonne.

A Senior majoring in Speech-Language Pathology, Ian strives to focus on the things in life that often get over looked. He has four very different brothers and one beautiful successful sister. Farmer is a commuter who lives all over St. Louis due to his side job as a house sitter. When not watching houses, Ian lives in Chesterfield with his three little brothers and parents.